EXTRA INNINGS PREP SOFTBALL NEWS AND FEATURES FROM AROUND THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY ... AND BEYOND.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne; Gerry Gittelson and Erik Boal Contributed

WHO'S HOT

STACY MILNE, CANOGA PARK The fleet-footed pitcher has become one of the most feared base-stealers in the area. Milne has 33 stolen bases in 14 games, an average of more than two per game. When she gets on base - which she does 69 percent of the time - she's likely going to steal second and third base. She's hitting .681 on the season with 12 RBI and 22 runs scored.

Milne has also excelled in the circle, with a 0.73 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 77 innings.

NEWBURY PARK About the only thing that's stopped Newbury Park during its eight-game winning streak has been a transportation mix-up before Tuesday's scheduled game with Moorpark. The game had to be postponed when Moorpark had a problem getting a bus to travel to the game, at Borchard Park in Newbury Park. The game has been rescheduled for 3:30 p.m. Monday.

Newbury Park's eight-game winning streak, which includes victories over the top two teams in the league, Royal of Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, has shaken up the Marmonte League. The Panthers have four one-run victories during the winning streak.

Senior catcher Caitlin Bailey leads the team with a .468 batting average and 13 RBI.

VICKY BROWN, LA REINA The hard-throwing left-hander pitched her fifth shutout of the season to lead La Reina of Westlake Village to a 1-0 victory over Tri-Valley League rival Oak Park on Tuesday. Brown (9-1-1), a junior, struck out eight and allowed three hits.

ERRIN SAKAKINI, OAKS CHRISTIAN Senior outfielder has given the Lions good production from the No. 8 spot in the lineup. Sakakini is batting .435 (10 for 23) with eight RBI and a .630 slugging percentage in her past 12 games.

TRACI WOLF, QUARTZ HILL Junior outfielder is 4 for 9 with two doubles and four runs scored in her past three games.

KRISTIN GALLANT, HARVARD-WESTLAKE After missing seven games with a pinched nerve in her neck, the senior right-hander has come up with big wins for the Wolverines.

Gallant threw a two-hitter in Monday's 3-1 victory over Flintridge Sacred Heart, a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 2-1 victory over Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks April 20 and a two-hit shutout of Alemany of Mission Hills on April 15.

This season, Gallant is 5-2 with a 0.88 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 56 innings.

LEAGUE UPDATES

FOOTHILL Saugus outfielder Bridget Hammer has endured some good-natured ribbing from teammates on her reluctance to dive for balls in the outfield. On Monday, Hammer's teammates even resorted to bribery to get her to dive for a ball.

``We were putting food in front of her face to get her to dive,'' junior catcher Tiffany Huff joked.

On Tuesday, Hammer put all the joking to an end with a spectacular diving catch on Valencia's Mallory DiFatta's line drive down the left-field line to end the game and preserve Saugus' 3-2 victory.

``In four years of coaching her, I don't know if I've seen her leave her feet,'' Saugus coach Rich Perez said. ``She dove for one in practice (Monday), and then came up with a big one (Tuesday).''

GOLDEN One of the best days in Littlerock softball history nearly turned into the worst when senior pitcher Nickie Perez was struck in the wrist by a line drive in the top of the ninth inning of Littlerock's 1-0 victory over Quartz Hill last Thursday.

Fortunately, after a series of X-rays and tests over the weekend, the reigning Golden League MVP is going to be OK. She has a deep bone bruise, but no fracture, and shouldn't miss any time.

Perez originally felt she might have broken the wrist, but with no back-up pitcher ready to step into a scoreless tie in the top of the ninth, Perez fought through excruciating pain and tears to finish the inning.

MARMONTE Westlake catcher Megan Shie hasn't been able to catch the past three games while struggling with elbow tendinitis. Shie, who has committed to Ohio State, will still be able to hit, but said she's been advised by her doctors to throw as little as possible the rest of the season.

``It's hard to watch,'' said Shie, who leads the Marmonte League in hitting with a .625 batting average. ``It's frustrating because I want to be out there.''

Shie said she's going to try to catch in Westlake's final home game against Agoura next Thursday, but will likely be a designated hitter or play right field in all other games.

SUNSET SIX Poly of Sun Valley (7-1) and Canoga Park (7-1) seem headed toward a shared league title after the Parrots' 5-0 victory over Canoga Park last Wednesday. Verdugo Hills (5-3), which has won at least a share of the league title five consecutive years, could play spoiler when it hosts Poly at 2:45 p.m. Tuesday.

BACK ATTACK Newbury Park coach Darrin Carr and assistant coach Nick Schepperle don't look as happy as you'd expect them to be right now. The Panthers have won eight consecutive games but it seems the better the team plays, the worse the coaches' backs get.

Carr has a herniated disk in his back, Schepperle has three, stemming from a car accident three years ago.

``Some teams are worried about who's going to play shortstop for them the next game, we're wondering who's going to be able to coach the bases,'' Schepperle said. ``But I'm glad it's us who's hurting rather than any of the girls. (Carr) and I are just kind of patching ourselves together.''

THOUSAND OAKS TOURNAMENT

The Thousand Oaks tournament begins Saturday with 23 of the top teams in Southern California. Nine of 10 teams ranked by the Daily News are in the tournament. Top-ranked Saugus is the only team not in the field. No. 10 Newbury Park is in the lower bracket.

The most interesting first-round games are: No. 8 Hart against No. 4 Royal of Simi Valley at 9 a.m.; No. 5 El Camino Real of Woodland Hills against Mater Dei of Santa Ana at 1 p.m. and No. 6 Oaks Christian of Westlake Village against Dos Pueblos of Goleta at 1 p.m. Many expected Oaks Christian to play Dos Pueblos in the Southern Section Div. IV championship game last season before Dos Pueblos was upset.

First-round schedule: El Modena vs. Camarillo, 9 a.m.; Royal vs. Hart, 9 a.m.; Thousand Oaks vs. Riverside Poly, 10 a.m.; Norco vs. Righetti of Santa Maria, 12 p.m.; Mater Dei vs. El Camino Real, 1 p.m.; Oaks Christian vs. Dos Pueblos, 1 p.m.; Rosary of Fullerton vs. Westlake, 3 p.m.; Valencia vs. Long Beach Millikan, 3 p.m.

CAPTION(S):

photo, 3 boxes

Photo:

Stacy Milne pitches against Verdugo Hills. Milne has stolen 33 bases in 14 games and is hitting .681 this season to go along with a 0.73 ERA and 116 strikeouts.

Box:

(1) TOP 10

(2) SEVEN-DAY FORECAST

(3) STATALICIOUS